What Goes Around
Comes Around:
Contaminated Food and the Environmentby Nina Rubin

Most of us learned the basics of nutrition from that
bible of good eating: the Food Guide Pyramid. Based
on its teachings, many people think that if they focus
on fruits and veggies and lay off the Fritos, they’re
doing just fine. They are, nutritionally speaking. But
these days there’s more to it than that. You know
that giant salad you ate for lunch? Aside from bestowing
your body with essential vitamins and other goodies,
it also probably gave you a healthy dose of toxins.

A World of Toxins

From poisonous fish to toxic infant formula, toxic
foods are found throughout the world, from Argentina
to the Arctic. In Argentina, exposure to pesticides
was found to be associated with sperm counts below the
limit of infertility. In the South Adriatic Sea (off
of Italy), researchers found that fish have mercury
levels exceeding the recommended maximum. (Mercury contamination
is also an issue in U.S. freshwater fish.) Mercury is
a potent brain toxin, particularly dangerous for the
unborn children of women eating the contaminated fish
[1].

But avoid fish and you might still be causing your
baby harm, according to a 2001 report. Researchers found
that a soy-derived estrogenic chemical found in many
soy infant formulas causes developmental abnormalities
and tumors in infant mice. One can only wonder what
this chemical would do to human babies [2].

Speaking of babies, Inuit infants (of the Arctic) were
recently found to have a significantly higher risk of
contracting certain infectious diseases. This is due
to their diet, which is rich in marine mammal fat, and
therefore persistent organic pollutants (a group of
chemicals, such as the pesticide dieldrin). By
the way, this same pesticide is also thought to confer
an increased risk of breast cancer. What’s more,
breast cancer patients who have high levels of dieldrin
are believed to have a poorer likelihood of survival.
Such pesticides can be found in a variety of edible
products, from milk and meat to fruits and veggies [3].

What Goes Around Comes Around

You might be scratching your head at this point, wondering
how these toxins end up in our food. The answer is quite
simple. Those pesticides that are sprayed onto our fruits
and vegetables? They end up on our plates and in our
bodies. How about the runoff from chemical plants? It
goes into our oceans, our fish, and then our bellies.
And what about the toxic waste buried deep in the ground?
The waste infiltrates our underground water sources
and contaminates our soil. This is the very soil that
yields the grain that we eat, and that is fed to the
cattle that we raise for meat. So if you’re not
getting toxins one way, you’re likely to be getting
them another.

What Can a Poor Boy Do?

For most people with a pulse, these facts aren’t
pretty. If this information hits your panic button,
here are some things that you can do:

Scrub and rinse your produce thoroughly.

Buy organic food. According to recent USDA organic
labeling laws, products with the label “100% organic”
were grown without the use of most synthetic
pesticides and fertilizers. Most rather than
all because certain chemicals that are considered “toxic”
by the EPA are still approved for use under the USDA’s
organic standards.

Support local food producers. A lot of people
see this as more of a symbolic gesture than a practical
solution. But recall the fact that other countries –
the very countries from which you are buying food –
have varied environmental guidelines. Pesticides such
as DDT that have been banned in the U.S. are still being
used in other places. So if you consume imported products
(which is likely, given that approximately 25% of all
produce in the U.S. is imported), you might be getting
more than you bargained for on your next trip to the
grocery store [4].

Be an educated consumer. Of course, it’s
hard to know everything about the food you eat. Especially
if last night’s steak was from a restaurant –
perhaps they don’t even know the source
of the meat, so how could you? But don’t hesitate
to ask questions. Find out about that hamburger. What
were the cows fed? Were they raised on land that is
near a toxic waste site? The more you ask, the more
you’ll know about what you’re putting into
your body.

Try your hand at politics. Affect change by
rewriting the books.

If none of these seem like viable options, you can
always donate money to a local non-profit organization.
Or, eat your way to a toxin-free world. That’s
right – believe it or not, your appetite could
contribute to positive environmental change. Take the
upcoming benefit dinner hosted by Hamersley’s
Bistro in Boston, Massachusetts. The event will feature
six of Boston’s top chefs and highlight the accomplishments
of the queen of primatology herself, Dr. Jane Goodall.

Chimps and Chow

Fail to see the connection between culinary stars and
chimpanzees? The dinner, at $250 a head, should bring
in quite a bit of cash – all of which is going
towards environmental research. The proceeds will go
directly to the Center for Health and the Global Environment,
an organization whose aim is to investigate and raise
awareness about the connection between human health
and global environmental change. (To find out more about
this event, click
here.)

The center, run by Harvard Medical School, is the first
medical school-based organization of its kind. The director,
Dr. Eric Chivian, hopes that the Boston event will not
only provide financial support for the cause, but also
raise public awareness through media coverage. He also
points out that the chefs’ involvement in the
event is, in itself, a form of political activism. "These
talented chefs…are dedicated environmentalists
by what food they allow to be brought in, cooked and
consumed in their establishments. By doing so, they
are informed messengers of today's environmental threats
and solutions."

The Bottom Line

It’s an eye-opening and often frightening experience
to realize that our most beloved foods are not just
sources of comfort and nourishment, but also vehicles
for toxic substances. An increasing number of studies
support this fact, and the public is starting to get
the picture: If the planet isn’t healthy, neither
are we.

More and more, people in unexpected places –
like the fine dining industry – are facing the
facts and taking action. Chivian’s efforts and
the culinary capers of a group of Boston chefs are shedding
light onto the connection between food and the environment.
And putting a new spin on the saying: You are what
you eat.